


If you say what's on your mind, I might answer 'sure'

by neongruen



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Fluff, Homophobic Language, Implied mental illness, M/M, hinted Stan/Kyle, the tiniest bit of angst, there's one incident but i tag it to be sure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 16:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5974090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neongruen/pseuds/neongruen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Craig and Tweek are stuck in detention together, Tweek has a minor breakdown and Craig is (unintentionally) there to calm him down, also horror games and a lot of candy. This is a happy fic, I promise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If you say what's on your mind, I might answer 'sure'

**Author's Note:**

> I needed to get this out of my system before I can move on with any other fic, so here we are take some creek fluff and leave me be. and yep, the title is from a Hilary Duff song idek what to say to that. btw, one could say that this is slightly canon divergent or somekind of missing scene since the yaoi art is a thing but it doesn't play out as in the episode.

It was just another boring afternoon filled with detention for Craig Tucker. Nothing special really. As he walked into the classroom he registered the same familiar faces, who always were there with him without ever interacting. It was still the same shabby room with the old interior and damp smell. That was until he saw something – someone – who normally wasn't there.

Wild blonde hairs, a rapidly tapping leg under the table, occasional jerks to the side. Huh. Tweek rarely got detention these days. That sure was different. 

Truth be told he had a soft spot when it came to the caffeine-addicted boy. Although he'd never admit it to anyone, he barely did so to himself. The reason wasn't a denial of potential homosexual feelings. No, that would be so lame. He didn't care for gender as long as the person wouldn't piss him off as much. And that was the whole point, when most people were barely tolerable to him on a platonic everyday basis, it was kind of hard to find someone who made him comfortable enough to stick around for longer than necessary and open up. 

Despite all this he couldn't deny that seeing the twitchy boy here helped to increase his mood at least moderately.

"Hey Tweek," he greeted when in eyeshot, considerate of the other boy's jumpy character. 

"C-Craig!" the blond jerked upright anyway and dropped his pencil. "What are you doing here?"

"I just love school so much I wanted to stay a bit longer," he deadpanned. "What do you think I'm doing?" Craig drew back the chair next to Tweek. 

"You shouldn't sit there!" Tweek exclaimed, watching Craig's movements with wide eyes. Completely unfazed Craig sank down into the chair and even continued to swing his backpack onto the desk before turning to the blond. "And why is that?"

"Because of the d-drawings," he explained. "You know, the ones with-" 

"Yeah, I was there during assembly, too," he interrupted the other boy, not quite sure where this was going. "What about them?" 

"Aren't you afraid people will believe it? Like you and me, you know?"

"People will think we're fucking because we sit next to each other during detention?" Craig rephrased, deliberately letting it sound absurd.

"Well no, but I don't know. Maybe yes?" Tweek said nervously, grabbing for his coffee mug to hold on to. "Don't the pictures make you uncomfortable?"

"Kinda," he sighed. "They can never get my eye color right, it's so annoying." 

"GAH! T-that's your only problem!?" the blond shrieked, hands flying up to his hair line. Craig hated when Tweek started pulling at his own hair. 

He could put up with the twitching and the jerks and shouts. All that was part of Tweek, it was what made him special and interesting in a twisted kind of way. But those little acts of self-destruction always got to Craig. He had the urge to take Tweek's hands and let him squeeze and tug on them instead. Anything to keep the other boy from pulling his hair out. 

Eventually he did nothing about it, instead he said: "What do you want to hear? Let the shitheads think what they want."

"It's not that easy," Tweek countered. Craig couldn't keep his eyes from Tweek's hands and when he realized, Tweek took them down as if just noticing that he was doing it.

"Your choice. Either way, can I sit here without drama or not? Because if the answer's 'no' then-"

"S-Stay!" the blond answered promptly, at which Craig raised an questioning eyebrow. "I mean, I don't really mind, I guess."

"What even got you detention?"

"Math homework, forgot it twice this week. Couldn't do it though, had to check my bedroom walls for cracks. I think they're getting bigger."

Craig knew better than to laugh the other boy's weirdness. "That must suck, dude."

The door behind them fell shut loudly and the teacher paced past them to the front desk, ordering everyone to take out their books and papers to do whatever exercises they were given too. After seeing that everyone was obedient, they put out a tablet and stuffed a pair of earbuds in. Their teacher looked even more demotivated than Craig felt. What even was the point if nobody even wanted to be here. At least the teacher would get paid for this bullshit.

Craig checked his phone first before obeying to do any work just out of spite. He opened one of his books as reluctantly as possible and forced himself to write a single word down, before loosing focus and deciding it was time to check the clock. Not even five minutes had passed. He was already bored as fuck, he'd never get used to this, it was more like it got worse with every hour of detention he got. 

He side-glanced to the boy next to him. Tweek looked tense, but didn't he always? Green eyes staring down at the desk, leg still tapping uncontrollably. Craig dared to watch a little longer, Tweek's shirt buttons were in the wrong holes. Was this tick even for real or was it just a habit by now? Tweek's hand was cramped around the pen he was holding, turning his knuckles white. He didn't look very healthy today, even for Tweek's standards. The blond was shaking so hard, there was no way the words he were writing would be in any way readable. With his gaze unfocused and the ever prominent dark circles especially noticeable, something seemed off.

"Tweek," Craig said quietly, "You alright?" But he didn't seem to hear him at all. 

"Ey, Tweek!" he repeated as loudly as he could without alarming the teacher. He may was an emotional train wreck but not an complete ass. At least he'd like to think so. And it was obvious that something was wrong with the other boy.

"Dude, talk to me!" Craig insisted.

"I can't do it! I just can't do it!"

"Calm down," he tried again. 

"I can't pretend any longer, they'll find out!"

"What are you even talking about?"

"They will know. And everyone will laugh."

He seemed to talk to no one in particular, Craig needed to get his attention not only to snap him out of whatever he was tripping on but also not to get any shit from the teacher. "I'm gonna touch you now. Don't freak out."

Craig didn't care if someone else saw and even less what they thought if they did. He was unsure what to do exactly but he began by tentatively laying one hand on Tweek's back. The pen was clattering audible on the paper now, so he grabbed the hand holding it to keep it steady. The touching felt unfamiliar but it was a logical thing for him to do in this situation.

Craig always thought he already saw Tweek pretty much stressed out but there was apparently room for more. It was an almost comical sight if it weren't so heartbreaking. Finally Tweek looked up and Craig knew he got through to him. Tweek's eyes were red-rimmed and watering.

"Dude, breath," Craig ordered, "When was the last time you slept?"

Wordless the blond continued to look at Craig with wavering lips. Craig had to do something, he couldn't handle a crying person; he was a shitty emotional help, he just said the things that came to his mind and hoped for the best.

"It's okay. We can get out of here if you like, I can get you out of here." Craig was never good at taking care of people, never good at caring for others. But he tried. He couldn't just let that kid have an panic attack and do nothing, could he? He saw Tweek breath in deeply a few times. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

"The drawings, it's too much pressure," Tweek forced out. "Why me? Everybody already thinks I'm a freak, now I'm gonna be faggy soon!"

"Shut up," he scolded, cringing internally at how harshly it sounded, empathy wasn't his forte. "You're neither a freak nor faggy."

"You don't understand, I lied," the blond whispered, Craig didn't know what he was referring to. "I wasn't checking for cracks. At first I did, because I swear there are more of them now, but not the whole night. There were too many thoughts in my head." 

"Okay."

"OKAY?! Nothing's 'okay'!" Tweek cried out.

Craig's eyes immediately went to the teacher's desk, they were still watching porn on their device or whatever it was they were doing. Never was he more thankful for a disinterested teacher. 

"I think I'm gay, and I don't think the drawings did it."

Craig processed the information, but was unable to see the problem. "Alright, fine. So what?" He heard Tweek's breathing speeding up, apparently Craig had said the wrong thing. "I don't care," he told him, "if it's about other people well, fuck other people." 

"Maybe that works for you," he gasped disbelieving. "They'll rip me apart and you know it."

"Who will? Give me names and I'd be so happy to punch their ugly faces. Or I can hold them down for you." He'd rather punch them himself.

Tweek studied his face as if he was waiting on something. "You're not angry?"

"What the fuck, Tweek? Why would I?" he hissed. "It's not my business."

Tweek didn't seem to believe him and somehow that bugged Craig massively, so he went on, "Have you seen the people we're going to school with? Do you think you're the only one? Makes me wonder why we're the ones with the yaoi thing going on."

Tweek furrowed his brows in slight confusion.

Craig sighed, "Marsh and Broflovski are obviously sucking each others dicks and nobody cares; I'm pretty sure Kenny would jump me if I'd let him, and have you even seen Butters? The fact that not everything he touches bursts into rainbows is a mystery to me." He mentally clapped his back for that particular joke. "And that's just the boys."

His uncharacteristically long speech earned him a weak smile from the other boy. Craig felt strangely proud to have archieved that.

"Anyway, there's weirder shit in this town than some queer kids, dude. We are fine. Have you already forgotten that time fucking Cthulhu showed up?"

"Oh God! I'm just glad we weren't involved in this one!"

"Tell me about it. And besides we totally rocked the pink jackets during metrosexual phase." Craig had been unarguably the metrosexual king, the other boys had nothing on him back then.

"D-don't ever remind me!" Tweek brought one hand to his face to hide his embarassment.

Craig smirked. "So you're cool again?" Giving Tweek's other hand a reassuring squeeze. As he did so, Craig realized that the two of them were practically holding hands and let go of it awkwardly. 

"Feeling better now, thanks." Looking from Craig to his hand and back up again.

"Hm." 

Craig took his pen and tried hard to concentrate on his homework. He was positive that absolutely nothing that he wrote made any sense. Leave it to Tweek to freak out that one time he showed up for detention and making Craig step out way out of his comfort zone. Whatever, he had a whole weekend ahead with nothing but social isolation and Red Racer reruns. 

"Can I ask you something?" Tweek broke the silence after several minutes.

"What now?" Craig didn't even look up from his task.

"I never knew- Are you too? Like me- You know? Because you said 'we are fine' and you don't seem to mind about all of this," he asked and sounded more anxious with every word. "You don't have to answer of course."

Craig shouldn't have been surprised but considered declining an answer for a second, before he replied, "Alright listen up, I really don't care about shit like that. People piss me off and if I find one person that doesn't then I couldn't give a fuck for their gender. Nothing more to it."

Tweek nodded and faced the table. Craig heard him mumble something. "Huh?"

"Do I piss you off?"

Craig turned fully to Tweek now. Not really. No. "I-"

"Alright, would the love-birds in the last row shut their cake holes?!" The teacher suddenly warned in a loud voice. A few students started giggling. "Do your stuff and cause no trouble, and when you're ready you're free to do whatever it is you kids do these days! Take drugs, have unprotected sex for all I care!"

The two of them refrained from saying anything else after that, silently writing and occasionally checking the time. When the bell rang Tweek scrambled his stuff together as quickly as possible and hurried out of the door without saying a word of goodbye to Craig.

He packed his things and tried not to make anything of today's unusual detention session. While gathering his books and papers his attention was brought to a very unfamiliar looking folder, he couldn't remember bringing. Craig flicked through it ignoring any sense for privacy, before reading the name written on it 'Tweek Tweak'. Apparently the blond forgot it in his rush to get away. Should Craig bring it to him? Maybe Tweek would need it to study? He had said something about Math class. But then again why should he care? Bad for Tweek, if he forgets his shit. The Tweak's house wasn't far from his though, but Craig didn't want him to think he followed him around. No, on second thought he didn't care what Tweek thought of him. Why would he? Who says Tweek would be at home at all and anyhow he could always leave it at the door step or something. No big deal. 

Not long and he found himself in front of Tweek's house. He rang the door bell and waited. Craig told himself to wait exactly ten seconds before going home, he would definitely not ring again. Turns out he didn't even had to wait as long as that. Mrs. Tweak opened the door and after a short back-and-forth of courtesies and a 'I really don't want to come in, I just wanted to leave that here' and a 'No thank you, but I really don't need a coffee' Craig found himself in front of Tweek's bedroom door with a fancy looking hot beverage in his hand. 

He knocked. "Tweek! It's me!" he announced himself through the closed door. "You forgot your exercise book, I have it with me. And your Mom talked me into drinking coffee, I don't like it."

There was a muffled shriek from inside the room and the sound of something dropping to the floor followed by some wild shuffling before the door cracked open and the blond appeared in the doorframe.

"Craig! I'm so s-sorry," he sputtered. "And thank you so much um-" He opened the door further and vaguely indicated Craig to come in. 

Craig stepped in and put the coffee on the next free surface, he wouldn't drink it anyway. He handed the folder to Tweek.

It has been years since he was in Tweek's room. It had changed a lot but felt strangely familiar at the same time. There were books about Zen and Meditation next to ones about government conspiracies and exorcism. The walls were plastered with all kinds of posters, pinned down over each other. The curtains were drawn shut even though it was daytime outside. And on the nightstand was a small plastic container with pills. 

"Never knew you were into painting," Craig commented as he spotted the painting easel in the corner.

"H-how do you know about that!?"

He rolled his eyes. "There's a painting thingy literally right behind you and you still have paint on your hands."

"Oh." Tweek wiped his hands on his jeans self-consciously. "I'm too shaky for anything realistic, so I stick with abstract stuff. Helps me calm down, sometimes. But don't ask me to show you anything! I'm not good or something I just do this as a stress relief. Please don't."

"Chill dude, wasn't going to."

"A-alright then, and about earlier at school," Tweek began. On the outside Craig must have looked as blasé as he ever did but his insides were in a turmoil; he wanted to choke that feeling off, now. "Thank you for doing what you did," Tweek continued, "like being there and calm me down, I know it was probably annoying for you."

So they weren't going to talk about that other thing. Fine. Because if Tweek wouldn't bring it up, he definitely wouldn't. Craig shrugged, because what was there to say. It's not like he had been nice on purpose or something. 

"Alright then I'll let myself out," he informed the other boy and turned to the door.

There was a nagging feeling that he should say something else. Anything. That there were some things worth leaving your comfort zone. For once he wished he was more like Kenny, always crossing the line and being too bold for his own good, or like Clyde who would have made a huge fucking show out of it or even like Kyle, that kid probably had a list of pros and cons for every occasion in life. But Craig wasn't like them. So he did what he did best, he left. He hated that he secretly wished he had a reason to stay. He didn't even wanted to come here in the first place. 

"W-wait!" Tweek suddenly called out. 

Craig's hand froze on the door handle. 

"Would you- Well, would you like to s-stay a bit longer? Here with me I mean in my room, we could, I don't know, p-play some PS4 or-"

He shouldn't stay, he shouldn't turn around now. He thought of draining emotional experiences, he thought of drama and of a blushing Tweek. He thought of hesistant smiles and jittery hands and unkempt hair. Craig turned around and answered, "Sure." But he swore he said that as indifferent as he could. 

Tweek blabbered on, "And I'd totally get it if you wouldn't want to because that's actually pretty awkward, isn't it? But I just thought it would be a good idea because-"

"Dude stop, I said I'd like to hang out." 

Tweek beamed at him. The two boys stood there in Tweek's room, Craig's hands shoved into his pockets and Tweek scratching at the dried paint on his fingers. Just when Craig thought that things got uncomfortable very quickly and maybe this had been a bad idea to begin with and he'd never ever trust his gut again. Tweek went up to his desk searching for something under the pile of loose paper sheets. "I don't know what you'd like to do," he began, still shuffling around things until he got hold of something, "But I got this new horror game." Tweek held it up for him to see. "No way!" Craig gasped, "Oh my God, that was just released!" 

"Yeah, actually it's not out until tomorrow but I pre-ordered so it came a day early."

"We have to play it! I heard it's super creepy and violent." Then suddenly aware of who he was talking to. "Or would you rather play something else?" Craig so hoped not.

Tweek huffed. "Why would I own it if I were afraid of it? I'm not scared by horror games." That statement earned him a suspicious look from the other boy.

Tweek made a face, "I'm cool with it, wouldn't have suggested it otherwise. You can play though."

"That would make me so happy." Leave it to teenage boys to bond over video games.

While Tweek went downstairs to grab drinks and snacks. Craig turned on the console and settled on the bed. 

"We ran out of beer but I found Dr. Pepper and a few other things," Tweek meant as he opened the door with his body. He was balancing all kinds of candy and snacks on his hands, and a few bottles of soda were clammed under his arm. He stepped to the bed and let everything fall down on the mattress. Craig inspected the selection and went for said Dr. Pepper and some strawberry Twizzlers.

Tweek shut the door and turned off the lights before taking the place next to Craig on the bed. In other circumstances it could have been a romantic scene, but he supposed it was less so when they were about to play the most gory horror game ever released. If one believed the hype.

"Ready?" Craig asked, after a last quick sip of soda.

Tweek reached around the bed, grabbing a blanket and wrapping himself in it. "Bring it on," he grinned, as he opened a bag of popcorn. That kid was such a dork, but Craig liked dorky Tweek much more than the one he had to calm down earlier, he found.

They made it past the usual tutorial shenanigans and the first few levels without a major scare even though the atmosphere was really tense. 

"Craig, no! You literally just came from that door! Go take that other hallway!"

"Maybe you should play if you know everything."

"Sorry, but oh my God, you have a map right there!"

"Smartass," he grumbled and did what he was told in-game. His persona went around the corner to-

"OHMYFUCKKK!"

"SWEET JESUS!"

A high-pitched scream. A ghoulish figure flashing brightly on the TV screen.

The Playstation controller flew across the room. Jerking upright, Craig turned his face away. Tweek bumped the popcorn over. Something dripped onto the floor. 

The blond was clinging to him, twitching hard. The covers drawn over Craig and himself in an half-assed attempt to shield them both from the horrors on the TV screen.

After the adrenaline shock from such a cheap-ass jump scare, Craig felt so fucking embarrassed. It really didn't help that he was painfully aware of Tweek's body pressed against him. 

"You're alright?" Craig managed to ask, his heart still pounding. From the jump scare. What else.

"I'm f-fine." Although he was not moving an inch and his voice was flat. "Just give me a moment." Tweek's face was pressed onto Craig's shoulder but he chose not to comment on it. Faintly aware of Tweek's shampoo, he couldn't make out the smell but decided it was nice.

"I think you knocked our drinks over," Craig stated.

"I think you broke the controller." 

He grinned down at Tweek, who was also smiling at him. Their faces close now. Tweek didn't seem to move any time soon, his grip on him tightened, or Craig just imagined things. He really hoped he didn't. It was the ridiculousness of their situation, the adrenaline or just hormones. Maybe a terrible cocktail of all three, that sent his head spinning and made his heart feel light.

"Tweek?"

"Hm?"

Tweek was watching him expectantly, Craig's pulse quickening. He could be brave now or always wonder what could have been. He tilted his head slighty, but before he could gather the courage to close the gap Tweek's thin, chapped lips were pressed against his. He eased into the kiss; it came naturally to curl an arm around the other boy's waist. He pressed his lips against Craig's just brief enough to leave a taste of coffee on them. The blond settled his head back against his shoulder. Craig brought his other arm around Tweek in an embrace and layed his head on top of Tweek's. 

"You don't piss me off, you know," Craig confessed.

"I'm sorry?" 

"You just don't. You're twitchy and weird and different and I like you for that. I want to spent time with you and it annoys me but it also doesn't." That was as close to romance as Craig would ever get.

"You're really not that good with words, dude."

"Fuck you, I'm trying," Craig protested without any venom in it. Tweek gave him a light hit, which he caught mid-air causing the other boy to loose balance. Or maybe Tweek just pulled him down and Craig settled above him willingly. Details were overrated. Tweek brought a hand up to gently tug off his chullo, combing his fingers through Craig hair; he did it carefully as if Craig might object. "So what now?"

"Don't know," Craig said truthfully, observing the boy under him. "I like you."

"Same." 

Craig could already feel the corners form into another smile. He dipped his head down to kiss the boy again. It was more forceful this time. One hand in Tweeks hair, the other boy's fingers boldly stroking the patch of skin, where his sweater had slid up. When Tweek sucked lightly on his bottom lip, Craig shuddered. He pulled away at that, which made Tweek make a sound of disappointment. Oh God. He brought their forehead together, collecting himself. Tweek shoved at his chest as a wordless request to rearrange. Craig climbed down from him and laid on his back, the other boy crawling up to his side, head propped on his chest.

They stayed like that for a long time, just laying on the bed together watching the room get darker, the later it got. The console had shut itself down a while ago. He heard Tweek yawn and the sound of it was so foreign to Craig's ears, he had to look to believe it. "What?" Tweek inquired amused, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye. "Nothing," he brushed it off.

"Will you stay the night?" Tweek asked.

"Wasting no time, I like it."

"Not like that! You pervert, oh my God! You know what I mean."

Craig snorted at Tweek's outcry. "I was joking, I'll stay," he clarified just to be sure. Craig switched to his side, facing the other boy and Tweek mirrored him. "I think I never saw you sleep before." 

"Contrary to what everybody thinks, I do sleep. Just not very tight and well, regularly. It depends, helps when I'm comfortable." Even in the darkness Craig could make out his reddening cheeks.

They fell asleep soon after, wearing their street clothes, between candy paper and popcorn crumbs in a tangle of arms and legs. 

When Craig awoke in the morning he was aware of two things: one, that he must have tossed his sweater away sometime during the night, and two, the stirring blond mess beside him was still asleep. He pulled Tweek a little closer and although he wanted to enjoy the image of the sleeping boy for a bit longer, he hadn't the strength to keep himself from drifting back to sleep again.

**Author's Note:**

> it's 5:30am where i live, i hate everything


End file.
